Conventional RF (Radio Frequency) technology has been used for many years to connect wireless devices such as phones, laptops, etc., to landline networks and/or other wireless networks. Today, RF technology supports many different types of connection services such as cellular voice and data communications, high-speed data services, etc.
One type of RF technology is known as Wi-Fi™. This more recently implemented short-range wireless technology includes large-scale installation of WiFi™ base stations (access points). In comparison to the conventional long-range cellular network technology, WiFi™ technology supports short-range communications such as 200-300 meters as opposed to 1500 or more meters provided by cellular telephone base stations. In comparison to installation of each cellular telephone tower, installation of a respective WiFi™ base station is substantially less expensive for each so-called hot spot.
Wi-Fi™ technology is defined by specifications from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. In general, Wi-Fi™ technology enables computerized devices such as laptop computers, mobile phones, tablet computers, etc., to wirelessly connect to a corresponding computer network. Via a respective wireless link, computer devices can retrieve data over a network such as the Internet.
Conventional computer devices typically have the ability to identify a presence of WiFi™ access points in a corresponding network environment. For example, according to current Wi-Fi™ technology, and a passive scanning technique, each of the access points in a network environment transmits a beacon signal indicating its presence. The mobile computer devices monitor the region for beacons (i.e., wireless signals as generated by the access points) to determine which, if any, access points are present in the region. The mobile computer device selects a suitable access point amongst the multiple access points to establish a WiFi™ connection. Typically, the mobile computer device selects to the access point producing the strongest received signal at the mobile communication device.
In certain instances, a respective wireless access point supports communications at multiple different carrier frequencies such as at 2.4 GHz (GigaHertz) and 5 GHz. Vendors of mobile communication devices sometimes prefer to configure a respective mobile communication device to communicate over the 5 GHz carrier frequency band regardless of the implications to other connected devices communicating with the access point.